Do you realize we (the public) have been given erroneous information year after year? Like Pavlov's dog we salivate almost every time. We have experienced years of induced fear and paranoia as a result of misinformation and outright lies by government leaders, namely President George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, in an unprecedented effort to lay down reasons to assault Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result we committed criminal warfare against a country, blameless of any terrorist acts against us.

We have been told about the threats of terrorism almost daily. The fact is: foreign terrorism is, and has been, non-existent in this country for the last 12 years. The Boston bombers excepted: one was a citizen, the other, a legal immigrant. Other devious plots have been detected and prevented by our vigilant surveillance authorities. Those numerous incidents happen in every country in the world, especially in smaller nations frequently in a state of chaos and civil disorder.

We are not, in any way, in danger from abroad — from any country, big or small. Consider the amount of surveillance we have covering this country like a tight net. Consider the agencies involved and the amount of money expended. The NSA, Homeland Security, ($600 billion annually) the CIA, the FBI, Military intelligence and so forth. These agencies present an impenetrable wall of protection. Why the constant panic?

The biggest business conducted in this country in more than a decade has been in the weapons industry. I'm sure they have the strongest lobby in Washington. They have had tremendous profits as a result of so-called wars that are directly connected to our huge deficits. They are profit-oriented, regardless of the moral concepts of injuring and killing people. To make these wars possible the public needs to believe that there exists a real and pending threat to our safety, an immediate and near chance of bombs falling out of the skies. It was cleverly and deceitfully started with our previous president and his gangsters friends and still is very present to this day.

Scaring people, like you and me, and keeping them scared is how their strategy works: their ploy. We fell for these lies, hook, line and sinker.

It's overdue that we rebuke these purposeful lies and direct or time and treasure to rebuilding this country — never again to live in fear, putting these detractors in their place. Peace is possible. Work for it.